This is Love
by brie3887
Summary: AU: Following a stint in the navy, Tobias returns home, unsure if he still has a relationship with Tris. One-shot.


Tobias settled down into his aisle seat on the plane. It would only be a short ride to O'Hare Airport, a short ride to home, although he wasn't sure he could still call it that. He put his seatbelt on and flipped through the Skymall magazine, anxiously waiting to take off. He hated flying. He hated the feeling of weightlessness and lack of control. She had loved it though and would squeeze his hand tightly in excitement, bearing her teeth in a grin and widening her eyes enthusiastically when the plane finally lifted from the ground. He shook his head trying to shake his thoughts. There was no need to think of the past or the uncertain.

The plane took off and he only tried to focus on the useless inventions in the magazine. A head massager? Five hundred dollars? He stared at the silly looking contraption that fit around your eyes like some virtual simulator.

"Useless." The man next to him grumbled, pointing at the magazine. Tobias picked his head up and looked over at the older man.

"Yeah." Tobias agreed.

"Who would even pay for that?" Tobias shrugged at him. He honestly didn't feel like starting a conversation. He'd rather be left to his own thoughts. "Excess. That is what this country has come to." Tobias only nodded quietly. A few moments passed before the man spoke up again. "I saw your hat. You in the navy?"

"I was." Tobias answered.

"Really? How long?"

"Did my time. Last stint was three years."

"Barely been home, eh?" The man asked.

"Yup."

"Lonely road." The man said. "Been there myself. You must have had to adjust quickly to all the low doorways and tight spaces." He said looking up at Tobias's tall and muscular frame.

"Sure." Tobias said with a smile. "Didn't get through that without banging my head a few times." The man chuckled at him.

"How many times did you get home?"

"Maybe three, four. Not much." Tobias shrugged again. "Not always much to come home to."

"I see, I see." The man said. "Interesting, isn't it? Sometimes when you're not around how people forget you?"

"I guess." Tobias said.

"Not my girl." The man said. "I tell you what, most faithful woman in the history of the world. Stuck by me even when I was away."

"That's a good woman." Tobias said with a smile.

"Yes, she was. I miss her every day." Tobias saw his frown, the sadness come over him. "Died from cancer last year. Horrible illness."

"I'm sorry." Tobias said.

"Thank you, thank you. I'm on my way to see my daughter and grandbabies." Tobias smiled. The man was quiet for a moment. "You got a girl waiting for you?" He asked. Tobias pursed his lips together for a moment.

"To be honest, I'm not sure anymore." He said.

"Not sure?" The man said sitting up and facing him. "You have to be sure!"

"Well, she didn't answer my last email."

"Email? Email? What about letters? Something tangible, something to hold?" Tobias laughed a little. "I know, I know. Your generation doesn't do the letter thing. But let me tell you, letters were great." The man stared off. "My girl, I could tell where she held it, see the smudge from writing left-handed, and she'd even spray her perfume on the paper. It was like being home." Tobias smiled to himself, wishing he had a letter to hold in his hand, wishing he had the Christmas cards she had sent a few months back here, instead of his duffel. "You have to have a picture of this girl." The man said suddenly.

"Sure." The man gestured for Tobias to get it out, and he fished for his wallet. He flipped through the side pocket and pulled out the creased photo. He handed it to the man.

"Oh." The man said. He put his glasses on. "This one is beautiful." Tobias looked at the photo. She had been sitting at her desk looking out the window in her apartment, her chin supported by her fist, and the moment he snapped the photo she turned to him. Her mouth held a tiny closed smile, turned up slightly at one corner, her eyes knowing and full of love. "What's her name?"

"Tris. Beatrice."

"Beautiful." The man said. "Looks like a keeper."

"She is." Tobias answered.

"Then I guess you better go after her." Tobias took the photo back and looked at it closely. She was beautiful, plain, simple, unselfish, and yet so complicated. Tobias couldn't expect her to wait forever, to sacrifice her happiness while waiting for him. Maybe that was why she hadn't responded to his last email.

"Maybe." Tobias responded softly. The old man cleared his throat and set his hand on Tobias's forearm.

"Listen to me son, if she's everything to you, the sun and the moon, the stars, if you love her, then you need to go after her." Tobias nodded at his words. The man smiled at him and turned away back into his own small space. Tobias fingered the photo, his thumb swiping the length of her, before he clutched it into his hand. He leaned back in his seat and thought of the last time they saw each other. They hadn't fought, instead they had lied in each other's arms until the last moment he had to leave. She had cried the entire way to the airport, and he could do nothing but hold her hand on the drive. She didn't want to let go, and he felt awful for having to push her away. Now they were distant. It had become so hard for her to be with him, wait for him, which he expected after three years of waiting and waiting. He was sure it wasn't because of anyone else, but rather because she needed him and he couldn't be there.

At the baggage claim people were swarming. O'Hare was busy this time of day, and all he wanted was to find his duffel, catch the bus, and crawl into bed in his empty apartment. He couldn't stand how people huddled around waiting for their luggage, stepping in front of each other. He just hid under his hat, held onto his backpack and waited. The buzzer sounded and the bags started to drift out. His duffel was close to the beginning, and he picked it up and slung it over his shoulder. He saw the old man, also grabbing his bag, and Tobias waved goodbye. He weaved through people, trying hard not to hit them with his bag; they didn't want to move.

He thought he heard someone calling his name. He craned his neck to hear and look around, but no one he knew was nearby.

"Tobias!" He heard it again and tried to see through the multitude. He spotted a thin form, rushing toward him, but far away. He knew that shape, the petite-ness of her frame, her dark blonde hair trailing behind her. "Tobias!" She called. She started to run when he caught her eye. Could it really be her, he thought? He picked up his pace toward her and she picked up hers, weaving around people who were now stopping to move out of her way. "Tobias!" She called again. He dropped his duffel on her fast approach and she slammed her body into his, hitching herself into his arms, wrapping her legs tightly around his waist. He wrapped his arms around her and held her. She pushed her lips to his and held tight; his arms tightened around her. Time seemed to stop in their kiss.

When she pulled away she held his face in her hands and looked into his eyes. "Tobias." She whispered. He smiled at her. Her hands played over his face, touching his rough stubble, the curve his jaw, and fullness of his bottom lip. "You're here. You're real." She said softly. She kissed him again.

"I'm real." He replied against her lips. He shifted her weight and she hugged him tightly, burying her face into his neck. When she pulled away, she slid off his body but still held on, her hands gripping his sides.

"I'm sorry I didn't respond. I didn't know if I'd come." She rambled out of breath. She threw a hand through her hair, trying to smooth it.

"It's okay." He said. He tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "I understand."

"But I couldn't not come." She said looking up at him. "I love you." She said softly.

"I love you too." He replied. She grinned. "And I'm not leaving again Tris." Her smile grew. She picked his hat off his head and put it on her own with a smirk. How happy he was to see her smile, to play, and joke.

"Take me home?" She asked.

"Of course." He pulled his duffel bag up over his shoulder, and then grabbed her hand which fit so perfectly with his. This was love, he thought. He turned around before leaving the building, and saw the old man who was grinning widely. Tobias caught a wink and wave, he sent the man a nod. The man was right, if you love someone, letting them go should never be an option.


End file.
